The Dood

Recently, Rachel and I have learned that the Hebrew word "dood" means "water heater". Why do we know this word?- you may ask. Unfortunately, ours is broken. Has been for a week. Have you ever shaved your legs in a freezing shower? &*(^$%$%^&&(*)#@!@ it hurts! So our dood dude, chaled, has come over three times to the apt (first time without a ladder-learned that hebrew word too) to try to fix it. Everytime he leaves, he is convinced that it works, and then lo and behold--- the water from the cold faucet is miraculously warmer than the water from the hot faucet. Needless to say, Rachel and I are cranky. It's tough when the language barrier gets in the way of things you need.

Enough with the obnoxious stuff--- onto more fun things! Let's see... on Masoret (Tradition) Day, we all broke up into groups to learn how to take the Torah out of the ark, put it back, undress it, hold it up (without dropping it), wrap tefillin, and call out aliyot. All together, a very interesting day.

On Sunday, my classmate Rachel (not the roomie) and I led our first service EVER. We spent the whole week planning and being nervous (mostly me)... and we got to school on Sunday 15 minutes early so we could have some time to relax before everyone arrived. Well.... par for the course of a day in Israel- we were not allowed into the building. We weren't sure why until a police van pulled up. The police officer told us we had to get down the stairs to the street. Then he said two words we learned the first week of school "hefetz hashood" (suspicious object). So he put on his swat gear and went into the building. 10 minutes later, Rachel and I were free to go in and start services. Despite the beginning, the service went swimmingly and I'm pretty sure I'll be able to do it again.

I figured out how to work our cable tv and watched a show the other day that was not unlike the E! channel's countdowns. This one (in Hebrew) happened to be the most "universally famous" Israelis. Who was number 1? Ladies and gentlemen, the most well-known Israeli in all the world is.... Uri Geller ???!!!??? Yes, people, the man who can bend spoons with his mind, or fix your watch.

Tomorrow, my classmates and I need to be at school at 4 am. We are going to Sephardi Slichot services on French Hill (just what we need in the morning). We have been assured by the Schlifinator (the head cantor/genius) that it is going to be FUN. Yes friends, a service at 4 in the morning where we confess our sins is going to be FUN. I can't wait.

I have a choir audition on Monday afternoon. My days of singing with salt shakers, remote controls, and cutlery as a microphone are OVER. I'm excited and it counts as community service- so I get to bring joy to people with my singing and get credit for it.

That's it for now..... it's definitely bed time so I'm not completely cranky tomorrow morning. at 4. uggghhhhh.